Saving Grace
Saving Sands
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Author’s Note: I’m suffering from a bout of
writer’s block on my Secret Window story and have been listening to the “Once
Upon a Time in Mexico” almost non-stop.
Writing this was inevitable. It’s
a total excuse to have some banter with Sands and get him into bed with a
chick. Totally not a Mary-Sue and I’m
really not taking it too seriously, but if I didn’t write something, I was
going to burst. I’ve gotten a few
laughs out of it – I hope you do the same.
Oh, it gets pretty far out there too – just pretend that the government
would do anything in its power to not have to deal with Sands.
never so much as lit a sparkler around anyone’s fics. Thanks! Oh, my Spanish is
reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally rusty, so let’s just pretend it’s all grammatically
correct. ;-)
***
Agent Sheldon Jeffrey Sands
remained slumped against the wall of one of the buildings in the center of
town. The drugs from his “operation”
now wearing very thin, the damage to his body was causing him excruciating
pain.
“Señor
Sands,” the young boy said frantically.
“Vamos!”
“Not gonna
happen, kid,” Sands replied through gritted teeth. “Fucking town’s deserted at the moment…guess interagency
cooperation wasn’t all it was cracked up to be or I’d be in a fucking hospital
right now.” He once again mashed at the
buttons on his cell phone, but it was dead.
“Damn it!”
The boy
spotted a woman down the street a ways.
It was the first person he’d seen since Jorge left.
“I don’t
need a woman right now, I need a…Oh…yeah, go get her.”
The boy ran
down the street as fast as his legs would allow him. He caught up to the woman just before she rounded the corner.
The woman
turned, startled. Oh crap,
Spanish. Of course I am in
Mexico. O.K., either this kid wants
something or… She thought back to
the years of Spanish in high school and college. Wow, I really didn’t learn more than swearing and…wait,
ayúdame comes from ayudar, which means…help!
Ooo, I got it! Help me, please…
“Señorita,
por favor!”
Nothing,
I just follow and hope I don’t get killed or something.
where Sands was now fully on the ground, groaning in intense pain.
“Señor
Sands, tengo la mujer!”
Her
thoughts were frantic. Have the
woman for what?
“O.K., and this
is helping me how?”
“Well, me
neither,” the woman replied, understanding what the boy had said, “but you’re
American, so yay for that. What
happened to you?”
“What
didn’t?” Sands answereldlyldly.
“O.K., bad
question. Is there a hospital around
here anywhere?”
“Si,” the
boswerswered.
The woman
was puzzled. “He understands English
perfectly, but doesn’t speak it?”
“Don’t
ask,” Sands said, “it keeps things moving.”
“OoooooooK…where?”
“We’re pretty
far from it. You don’t see a car just
laying around unattended, do you?”
“Uh, lots
of ancient jeeps.”
“That’ll
do.”
“You want
to just take one?”
“Do you
really think anyone here’s going to fucking mind?”
“Hey, watch
it, buddy,” she said, offended by his attitude and language.
Sands
grunted. “Lady, I’m having a really bad
day.”
“Obviously,”
she said sarcastically. “Drug deal go
bad or something?” That gandsands to
his feet, as she hoped it would.
mal>
“Fuck you!”
“Hey, I got
you up, didn’t I? I can’t exactly carry
you. Now watch your mouth or I’ll leave
you here.” She put an arm around Sands
waist and helped to steady him. The
three walked to one of the jeeps and she helped Sands inside.
“He can,”
Sands replied.
“I do hope
you’ll at least translate for me so I don’t take five minutes trying to figure
out what he’s saying.”
“Fine,
whatever, just go!”
She turned
the key that was left in the ignition and began to drive, the boy saying
directions, and Sands repeating them in English. The road was bumpy, and the woman had never driven a vehicle even
remotely resembling this one, so the ride…was a rather unpleasant one.
< sty style='mso-tab-count:1'> “Jesus,
woman!”
“I’m doing
the best that I can. Ugh, ungrateful
bastard.”
Sands
couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah, you know
me so well already.”
her head and continued to drive and, within a few rough minutes, she pulled up
in front of the hospital. There was
some sort of commotion going on, bhe hhe helped Sands inside.
here anything like the ones at home?”
“You talk
too much – go!”
She
groaned, not understanding why she even bothered trying to help this mook in
the first place. She followed the boy,
but looked back at Sands – he was having trouble finding where to sit…there
were chairs all around him. “What the
hell?”
“No tiene
ojos.”
“Whoa,
what?” She understood exactly what he had
said – it seemed that the language, or pieces of it, were coming back to her.
“No tiene
ojos.”
“That’s
what I thought you said.” She looked
back again. The dried blood on his face
finally registered with her. “Thank God
for sunglasses, or I really would’ve freaked.”
“Nada.” Once at the “Um, I Seeing the “What’s “Pelé. “Grace.” Pelé “Sure, I Grace sat “You are here “Uh…yeah,” “The “That’s “Documentos,” “Oh…right.” “He is “Yet oddly
desk, the boy explained the situation and a gurney was brought out right
away. The nurse handed the woman a
clipboard before going back to her work.
don’t know him – I c fil fill this out and he…has no eyes.”
but the woman couldn’t catch a great deal of it. So, I’m shit out of luck then…I should just go.<
<
look on her face, the boy said, “No vayas.”
He looked scared and, for a moment, she wondered what exactly he was to
the man she’d brought here.
your name?”
smiled. “Alojame?”
don’t have anything else to do.”
in the waiting room with Pelé, empty clipboard in hand.
with Pelé as they waited. After a
couple of hours, a doctor came into the waiting room. He had a thick accent, but spoke English.
with the man who has lost…his sight?”
Grace said unsurely. “How is he?”
bullets are out, and he is cleaned up.
We gave him medication for the pain.
It is the best we can do.” The
doctor paused a moment, then said, “You may see him.”
really not…” Pelé took her hand and
began to drag her to the recovery room.
“I don’t…”
he said, pointing to the clipboard.
himself, following the doctor.
groggy,” the doctor warned.
coherent,” Sands said. Grace looked at
Sands, his sunglasses where on his now clean face. The doctor left, leaving the three alone.
“Como
estás?”
“Been
better, kid. Look, you should, you
know, go h”
“Todavía
no.”
Sands
groaned. “Why not?”
“Me
ajetrearo.”
“Don’t need
to worry about me, kid.”
“Pelé,”
Grace said.
“Huh?”
“He has a
name, you know.”
A slight
moan of frustration escaped Sands’ lips.
“So, you’re here too?”
“Yeah, it “Damn,” “Shut “Sheldon She stifled “Next “O.K., if “Es Sands had a “Great,” After Sands Pelé “Grace?” “Si, su “Well, too “O.K.,” “Look, can She rolled “Pretty “Ugh, “Make a “I highly He Grace looked “Sands – “Whatever.
seems that there’s some pesky paperwork that you won’t be able to fill
out. I’ll help you, then I’me.”
Sands said sarcastically. “And I was
really getting to like you too.”
up.” She uncapped the pen she was given
and started asking the questions, she wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Jeffrey Sands.”
a laugh. “You donook ook like a
Sheldon.”
one?” She asked his birth date, social
security number, address, etcetera – then came employer.
you’re not going to take this seriously.”
verdad,” Pelé said.
smug half smile on his face. “Happy?”
Grace answered, “killing you would be a federal offense.”
and left the room to return it into the front desk.
was sure she was gone, he said. “So,
does she look as annoying as she sounds?”
smiled. “No. Grace es…”
nombre. Ella es muy bonito.”
bad that information doesn’t exactly have any hold on me in my…new condition.”
Grace said as she reentered the room.
“Your crap’s turned in and I’m out of here.”
you do one more thing for me?”
her eyes. “I haven’t done enough?”
please?”
what?”
call for me. The government may care
about where I am.”
doubt that – they stuck you here, didn’t they?”
smiled. “Mexico’s my beat, Grace.”
at Pelé. “Had to tell him, didn’t
you?” He giggled.
never Sheldon.”
He told her the number and she scribbled it down.